NEW DELHI, July 20: The ICC on Monday postponed the T20 World Cup in Australia owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, a long-anticipated decision which paves the way for the BCCI to organise the IPL during the October-November window.

The ICC hasn�t yet decided whether India and Australia will swap the 2021 and 2022 editions between them, both of which will be held in the October-November window.

�The International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed the ICC men�s T20 World Cup in Australia 2020 has been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,� ICC said in a statement.

The ICC T20 World Cup was scheduled Down Under from October 18-November 15 but Cricket Australia, in the month of May itself, had intimated ICC that it would be near impossible to stage a closed-door event of this magnitude which would also require quarantine arrangement for 16 international teams.

The ICC deliberated on unspecified contingency plans for over two months before coming up with Monday�s decision.

Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said: �The decision to postpone the ICC Men�s T20 World Cup was taken after careful consideration of all of the options available to us and gives us the best possible opportunity of delivering two safe and successful T20 World Cups for fans around the world.�

As far as hosting of this edition is concerned, ICC�s commercial wing will be monitoring various modalities before coming to a decision on whether India will host the 2021 edition or swap with Cricket Australia and host theirs in 2022.